Burren House
2009
This project is a house and art gallery for a private collector, situated in the garden of an existing terrace near the centre of the city. The house is arranged over three floors, with enclosed courts surmounted by a simple glass container.
At ground floor the hewn granite walls are a continuation of the traditional Dublin garden walls. We have interpreted these in different ways; some areas are solid, while others form slatted screens allowing daylight to filter into the ground floor spaces. At street level, the building is completely closed to its surroundings, with granite walls encompassing two private courtyard spaces.
In contrast, the first floor is a conspicuous, lightweight, fully glazed box overlooking the adjacent gardens and gives views of the Dublin Mountains beyond. The glass is patterned to allow privacy. Light is carefully modulated to protect sensitive artworks. The first floor contains a private living room, study, master bedroom and bathroom.
The double height hallway operates as the central space in the house, around which the living spaces are arranged. Light streams in from above and oblique views open up to the rooms beyond. The granite-enclosed steel staircase is the focus of this space, drawing the viewer’s eye up to the glazed box above.